Wheel flange oiler



, Jan. 24, v1939. s. E. BATES ET AL WHEEL FLANGE OILER 3 SheetS-Sheet l Filed Oct. 4, 1929 Jan. 24, 1939.

WHEEL FLANGEZOILER Ffiled oct. 4, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 s. E. BA1-Es ET A. 2,145,067.

Jan. 24, 1939. s. E. BATES ET AL '2,145,057

y WHEEL FLANGEOILER Filed Oct. 4, 1929 s sheets-sheet s @www Patented Jan. 24, 1939 UNITED STATES PATE-NT OFFICE WHEEL FLANGE OILER Application October 4, 1929, Serial No. 397,413

18 Claims.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in wheel flange oilers, and more particularly to an improved device for distributing lubricant to the inner face of the rail head of a rail and to the inner faces of the car wheel flanges in railroad equipment.

Numerous devices have heretofore been proposed for lubricating the engaging inner faces of wheel flanges and rails, particularly adjacent curves where centrifugal force causes an enormous lateral thrust of the wheel flanges against the rail and the wear of these engaging parts is considerable unless they are properly lubricated. The apparatus herein disclosed involvesV ycertain improvements on the type of wheel flange oiler disclosed vin the copending applications of Sidney E. Bates, Serial No. 277,524 and 301,741, led May 14, 192,8 and August 24, 1928 respectively. I

One object of the invention is to provide a means f or distributing the oil from a single pumpins mechanism equally at a plurality of longitudinally spaced points along the rail.

Another object is toprovide an improved form of car-wheel operated pumping mechanism.

Another object is to provide an improved form of oil distributing plate and wiper.

Other objects and advantages of this invention be more apparent from the following detailed .description of one approved form of mechanism invclving the principles of this invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan viewof the apparatus assembled on the rail and adjacent thereto.

Fig. 2 .iS a transverse vertical section, taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and on a larger scale.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the distributing plates at the inner side of the rail.

Fig. 4 is an elevation ofthe pump operating mechanism at the outer side of the rail, certain of the parts being broken away and certain parts being shown in section to facilitate the disclosure.

Fig, 5 is a transverse vertical section, on a larger scale, taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 taken substantially on the line 6 6 of Fig. 3.

The oil supply mechanism comprises a metallic casing I, all except the upper portion of which may be embedded in the road-bed 2 adjacent the Y outer side of the track-way, The upper portion of this casing houses an .oil reservoir 3 provided with a cover 4 hinged to the main casingk at 5.

Any suitable locking means may be provided at 6 to hold the cover in closed position. A follower 1 is fitted for vertical sliding movement within lthe cylindrical reservoir 3. As the oil is removed from the lower end of the reservoir, this follower 1 will be forced down by atmospheric pressure and will keep the upper surface of the thick oil or grease supply substantially level and prevent holes from being sucked therethrough. A central opening 8 in follower plate 1 is normally sealed by a plate v9, held down by a screw clamp I0. By loosening the screw .device I0, the plate 9 may be raised, thus permitting the follower 1 to be raised by the handle II of the screw device in order to replenish the supply of ,oil in the reservoir. A pump I 2 .of any suitable type, for example, a gear pump, is mounted in chamber I3 in the lower portion of casing I beneathr the reservoir 3. 'Ihe inlet I4 .of pump I2 vcommunicates with a pocket or hopper I5 leading from the bottom of reservoir 3. A screen I5a, provided with handles I5b by means of which it'` can be lifted out for cleaning purposes, is positioned in the top of hopper I5. The outlet I6 of the pump leads into a conduit I1 which at one side of casing I leads to a horizontal outlet passage I8 having outlet openings at each end thereof. A sprocket chain I9 located in a vertical chamber 2-0 at one side of casing I connects the sprocket wheel 2| on the rotary actuating shaft 22 of pump I2 with a sprocket 23 mounted on a driving shaft 24 journaled in the upper portion of casing I and projecting toward the adjacent rail.

A filler plate 26 is positioned along the adjacent outer face of rail 25 .between the head 21 and base flange 28 thereof, and a supporting plate 29 is secured along the outer face lof filler plate 26. The plates 26 and 29 may be secured to the rail in any suitable manner, as by means of the bolts 30 extending through the web 3| of the rail and the distributing means on the opposite side of the rail as hereinafter described. Supporting plate 29 is formed along its lower edge with a plurality of outwardly extending brackets 32, 33, 34 and 35. One end. 36 of an operating bar 31 is pivoted on a pin or shaft 38 mounted in plate'29 and a bracketarm 39 extending upwardly from bracketw 32. The other end 40 of operating bar 31 is provided with a perforated ear 4I guided for vertical movement on a guide pin 42; This guide pin 42 is here shown in the formAof a threaded bolt mounted at its lower end in bracket 35 and provided with a nut 43 for limiting the upward movement of ear 4I on bar 31. The central portion of operating bar 31 is cammed upwardly at 43 so as to normally project above the upper surface of rail head 21 at one side thereof and lie in the path of the tread of a car wheel as it passes along the rail. Compression springs 44 and 45 are confined between the stationary brackets 33 and 34 on plate 29 and brackets 46 and 41 on bar 31, 'these springs normally holding the bar 31 up in the path of the car wheel, this position of the bar being limited Iby the adjustment of nut 43 on the .guide bolt 42.

A horizontal rotary shaft 48 is journaled in a pair of spaced brackets 49 and 58 carried by supporting plate 29. Shaft 48 projects at right angles to rail 25 and in substantial alignment with the rotary shaft 24 of the pumping mechanism, being connected with this shaft through the universal joints 5| and 52 and the intermediate telescopic shaft section 53. This flexible shaft connection permits the mechanism to operate satisfactorily even though the casing I should not be mounted in exact alignment'with the operating mechanism on the rail. A ratchet wheel 54 and a pair of friction plates 55 are freely mounted on shaft 48 between a fixed plate 55 on the inner end of the shaft and the inner end of a bearing thimble 51' slidably keyed to the shaft and rotatable in bracket 5|). A compression spring 56 conned on the outer end of shaft 48 between the slidable bearing 51 and an adjusting nut 58 on the shaft tends to push the bearing 51 inwardly and clamp the ratchet 54 between the friction plates 55 so that the ratchet wheel will normally rotate with the shaft. A pawl 59 is pivoted at its upper end 69 to the operating bar 31 and is provided with a series of teeth 6| adapted to engage one side of ratchet wheel Y54 and rotate this wheel in a clockwise direction, as seen in Fig. 4, when the loperating bar 31 is depressed. A spring pressed plug 62 mounted in stationary member 63 holds the pawl 59 yieldably in engagement with the ratchet wheel. A locking pawl 64 provided with teeth adapted to engage the opposite side of the ratchet wheel is pivotally suspended at its upper end 65 in a stationary bracket 66, in which is mounted a spring pressed plug 61 similar to the device 62 for holding the locking pawl yieldably against the ratchet wheel.

It will now be apparent that as a car wheel passes along the track 25, it will engage the elevated portion 43 of operating bar 31 and depress the'bar against the resistance of springs 44 and 45, thus pushing down the pawl 59 and imparting Va vrotative movement to the ratchet wheel 54, which through the friction connections already described will rotate the shaft 48. Normally the shaft 48 and ratchet wheel 54 rotate as aunit,the only purpose of the frictional connection being to prevent breakage of the parts in case a stoppage occurs at any point in the chain of operating mechanism. After the car wheel has passed over the portion 43 of operating bar 31, this bar will be elevated by the expansion of springs 44 and 45 to its original position, as shown in Fig. 4. The locking pawl 64 will prevent retrograde rotation of the ratchet wheel 54`at this time, the spring device 62 yielding to permit the pawl 59 to slide upwardly at the opposite face'of the ratchet wheel. As each car wheel passes over this operating mechanism, a series of successive partial rotations in the same `direction will be imparted to shaft 48, this rotation being transmitted through the driving connections already described to the pump actuating shaft 22, thus causing the pump l2 to slowly force a' stream of lubricant from reservoir 3 through the discharge conduit l1.

A shield 68 is secured to theside of operating bar 31 and projects :over the pawl and ratchet mechanism, so as to serve as a protective covering therefor. A larger stationary shield 69 is supported from plate 29 and projects outwardly over all of the operating mechanism mounted against the outer side of the rail. This shield is long enough to cover the inlets to the distributing plates, as hereinafter described. The shield 69 is centrally recessed at 16 to permit the operating bar 31 and shield 68 to' moveyertically therethrough.

Inner and outer filler plates 1| and 12 are secured in any suitable manner to the opposite or inner face of the rail 25, as by the bolts 30 already referred to. These plates are adapted to t the space between the headand base ange of the rail and are so proportioned that the outer face of ller plate 12 will lie in substantially the same vertical plane as the inner side face of the rail head 21. The oil-distributing plates are secured against the aligned outer faces of the filler plate 12 and rail head 21 by two rowsof screw bolts 96 and 91 extending through the distributing plate into filler plate 12. In the present example, there are two of these plates 13 and 14 positioned end to end. Each of these plates is several feet in length and the two plates are substantially identical'soA that a description of one will suffice for both.

'Ihe upper portion of plate 13 is beveled upwardly at 15 to a thin upper edge'16 so that this bevel surface will substantially fit the inner surface of a car-wheel flange and frictionally engage the same to serve, as a wiping means for spreading the oil or other lubricant around the inner surface of the flange. The exposed end portion of beveled surface 15 is beveled off laterally, as indicated at 11, where the wheel ange rst engages therewith. The opposite end of the other distributing plate 14 will be similarly beveledat 18. A plurality of spaced oil pockets 19, 8|), 8| and 82 are formed in the upper edge 16 of each distributing plate. These pocketsare arranged symmetrically in the plate and the pair of pockets 19, 89 are spaced the same distance apart as the pair 8|, 82.v ing plate is recessed at 83 to receive a thin metal gasket plate 84 which extends longitudinally of the plate beyond the last pockets 19 and 82 formed therein. A main longitudinal oil channel 85 is formed in the bottom of recessed portion 83, this channel extending along the lower portion of r tions from one end of main channel 85 to the respective oil pockets 19 and 89.` Similar branch chanels 88 and 89 lead from the other end of the main channel to pockets Bland 82.

The rear surface `of the distribut- The branch channels 86, 81, 88 and 89 will all be of the same length. It will now be seen that the gasket plate 84 is clamped between the distributing plate 13 and ller plate 12 and serves as the rear wall. of the several oil channels or conduits just described. At the mid portion of main channel 85 an inlet port 90 is formed in this channel and also through the ygasket plate 84 to communicate with a suitable inlet conduit 9| whichextends through the web of the rail.y

The inlet conduits 9| are connected at the opposite side ofthe rail through elbows 92 and flexible conduits 93 with elbows 94 mounted in the opposite ends of the horizontal discharge conduitA I8 n amener to end thereof, and-that; although a single pum-p ing mechanism is used to supply oil; to eight separate vdischarge pocketsL the conduits leading to. eachpocket are of thesame size; and same length l as measured fromV the source,sothat the resistthe lubricant at the dischargeorifice ofthe pocket, It is not desirable that the oil orv other heavy lubricant be projected outwardly from the pockets with any force, but it; should merely be caused'to ooze up in these pockets so as to'stand in the path of the carwheel ange and be smeared thereon and along the beveled wiping,- surfaceiTE so as to uniformly lubricatel the` entire wheel flange and subsequently: be carried by the `wheel flanges onto the-inner surface of the rail head' along the adjacent curve. It will be noted that the successive impulses given to4 the pumpingmechanism are quitev small, and the single stream of oil forced out byl the pumpis divided between a plurality of distributing pockets so that the oil will not be ejected from Ythese pockets by the sudden sharp impulses given to the operating bar 31 by the successive car Wheelsas theypass'along the track.

A trough 95 may be secured in any suitable manner, as by means of the screw bolts 96, to the outer face of` each distributing plate, so as to catchl any excess oil that iowsfrom the distributing Vpockets and is not carried away by the wheel flanges. These troughs can be emptied at suitable intervals by the track crew, and thus tend to keep theY adjacent portions of the road-bed in cleaner condition.l

It will be noted; that While the operating and distributing mechanisms are firmly mounted against opposite sides., of the rail, .these parts are connected through the flexible shaft 53v and flexible oil conduits 9'3-v with the oil reservoir `and pumping mechanism, which are independently mountedin the adjacent road-bed; .This will permit the rail and parts carried thereby-toweave vertically as av train passes thereover, and also does not necessitate an exact alignment of thel reservoir and pumpingmechanism with the railcarried parts.

It is to be understood that this apparatus is particularly adapted for distributing a thick oil or other heavy lubricant,V as best adapted for the greasing or lubrication of the engaging surfaces of car wheels and rails. Wherever the term oil is used in the above specifications or in the claims which follow, it is intendedto cover all such heavy lubricants.A

We claim:

l. In a wheel flange oiler, a distributing plate adapted to be, mounted adjacentthe inner side of the rail and having a beveled upper edge portion adapted to engage the inner face of the wheel ange, lubricant distributing open `pockets positioned at spaced intervals in the upper edge of the plate, means for feeding lubricant into the plate, lubricant distributing passages in the form of grooves arranged in the back face of the plate and leading to the pockets, and means on the back face of said plate for closing the open sides of said grooves.

2. In a wheel ange oiler, a lter plate adapted to be anchored to a rail Abetween the head and base flange thereof with its outer vertical face ex,-V

tending; substantially. inthe sameplane as theaad-V jacent. outer .face ofthe railhead', and a renew-` able oil-distributing plate having a beveled upper edge Y.portion adapted to. engage the inner face of a wheel; flange, said plate being secured against the outer faces of tliefiller plateand railheadandl having oil-distributing passages formedy therein and terminating in the upper beveledy edge portion of the plate at the side of the railhead.

3. In a wheel 'ange oiler, a llerplate adapted to'V be anchored to a. rail between the head and base angethereof with its outer vertical face extending substantially in the same plane as the adjacent outer face of the railhead, and a renewable oil-distributing plate having a beveled upper edge portion adaptedto. engage the inner face of a. wheel ange, said plate being mounted on. the filler plate with its rear face clamped against the outer faces of the filler plate and railhead and having oil-distributing passages formed in its rear face and terminating in outlets formed in the upper beveled edge portion of the plate at the side of the railhead.

4. In a wheel flange oiler, a filler plate adapted tobe anchored to a rail between the head and base flange thereof With its outer vertical face extending substantially in the same plane as the adjacent outer face of the railhead and a renew-V able oil-distributing plate adapted to be secured against the outer faces of the filler plate and railhead and having oil-distributing passages formed` therein-and terminating in the upper edge portion of the plate at the side of the railhead and a trough secured to the outer face of the distributing plate for catching surplus lubricant.

5. In a wheel flange oiler, a filler plate adapted to be anchored to a rail between the head and base ange thereof with its outer vertical face extends ing substantially in the same plane as the adjacent outer face of the railhead, a renewable oildistributing plate adapted to be secured against the outer faces of the filler plate and railhead and having a beveled upper edge portion adapted to engage the inner face of a wheel flange, a gasket adapted to be clamped between the filler plate and distributingplate, the inner face of the distributing plate being recessed to receive the gasket, there being a plurality of oil-distributingV pockets formed in the upper beveled edge portion of the distributingplate and a plurality of'oil passages formed in the rear of this plate and leading to the pockets, the gasket forming the rear wall of the channels.

6. In a wheel flange oilery a ller plate adapted to be anchored to a rail between the head and base flange thereof with its outer vertical face extending substantially in the same plane as the adjacent outer face of the railhead, a renewable oil-distributing plate adapted to be secured against. the outer faces of the ller plate and railhead and having a beveled upper edge portion adapted to engage the inner face f a Wheel flange, a gasketfadapted to be clamped between the filler plate Vand distributing plate, the inner face of the distributing plate being recessed to receive'the gasket, there being a plurality of oil-distributing pockets formed in the upper beveled edge portion of the distributing plate, a longitudinal oil passage -formed in the rear surface of the distributing plate, a plurality of branch passages leading f from theimain passage to the several pockets, the gasket forming the rear wall of the several passages. i

7. In'a wheel flange oiler in combination with a reservoir, mechanism ,for pumping oil from the reservoir and means for delivering this oil to the wheel flange, means for operating the pumping mechanism comprising a rotary shaft, a ratchet wheel on the shaft, an operating bar mounted for vertical movement adjacent the railhead and having a cam portion projecting up into the path of a car wheel, spring means for normally elevating the bar, an operating pawl mounted on the bar and engaging the ratchet, a locking pawl mounted to engage the ratchet and prevent retrograde movement thereof when the operating bar is elevated, a shield mounted on the operating bar and' covering the ratchet and pawl mechanism, and a stationary shield covering all of the operating mechanism and recessed to permit the cam portion oi the bar and the shield thereon to move vertically therethrough.

8. In a wheel flange oiler in combination with a reservoir and pump mounted in the roadbed adjacent the outer side of a rail, a rotary shaft mounted adjacent the outer face of the rail, a flexible shaft connecting the rotary shaft with the pump, a pair of distributing plates each provided with a plurality of spaced oil outlets, the

,plates being positioned end to end at the inner side of the rail, oil conduits leading through the rail-web to the central portion of each distributing plate, flexible conduits leading from the pump to the inlet of each conduit, an operating bar positioned for vertical movement adjacent the outer face of the railhead and having a portion projecting up into the path of the tread of a wheel, a ratchet wheel on the rotary shaft, and a pawl carried by the operating bar and engaging the ratchet wheel, a shield carried by the operating bar and covering the pawl and ratchet mechanism, and a stationary shield covering the operating mechanism and the inlets to the conduits and recessed to permit the vertical movement of the central portion of the operating bar and the shield carried thereby,

9. A lubricating device comprising an operating member adapted to be disposed adjacent a track rail and adapted to be operated upon the passage of a car over the track, a lubricant reservoir supported in a fixed position in the road-bed and adapted to be disposed at a position remote from the track and independent of the movement thereof, a conduit for delivering lubricant from the reservoir to a point adjacent the track, pump means disposed substantially at the location of the reservoir to eifect the delivery of lubricant through the conduit, and flexible power transmitting means extending from the operating member to the pump means whereby the former may be effective for operating the latter.

10. In a wheel flange oiler, a filler plate adapted to be secured to the rail in the space between the head and the base ange of the rail with its outer face forming a continuation of the adjacent vertical face of the rail head, and a renewable oildistributing plate provided on its inner face with oil distributing grooves terminating in discharge openings in the upper edge portion of the plate and adapted to be clamped against the outer face of said filler plate and said rail head to close the open sides of said grooves.

11. VIn a wheel flange oiler, afiller plate adapted to be anchored to a rail between the head and having oil-distributing passages formed therein and terminating in the upper beveled edge portion of the plate at the side of the railhead.

12. In a track oiling system, an oil supply means comprising a casing adapted to be partially embedded in the ballast at a location spaced from the rails and ties, a reservoir in the casing, a pumping mechanism in the casing adapted to withdraw lubricant from the reservoir and discharge it from the casing, and means operable by a car wheel comprising flexible shaft and conduit connections extending from a rail for operating the pumping mechanism and for delivering the lubricant to the rail.

13. In a wheel flange oiler, a lubricant distributing member comprising a plate adapted to be positioned longitudinally of a rail at the inner side thereof and having a beveled upper edge portion shaped to engage the inner surface of a wheel flange and serve as a wiping means, there being a lubricant channel extending longitudinally of the plate and a series of distributing channels leading at intervals from the lubricant channel to the upper edge portion of the beveled surface, and a flange member mounted at the front of the plate to form therewith a trough for catching excess lubricant.

14. In a wheel flange lubricator, a lubricant distributing plate adapted to be mounted on a rail to extend between the wheel flange and the head of the rail and having a pair of lubricant outlets in its upper edge portion and formed on a side face with a plurality of connected grooves which provide a main lubricant passage extending longitudinally of the plate to a point midway between said outlets and branch passages of equal length and cross sectional area leading from the main passage to the outlets, and means for clos ing the open sides of said grooves.

15. In a wheel flange lubricator, a lubricant distributing plate adapted to be mounted ona rail to extend between a wheel ange and the head of the rail and having a plurality of outlets in its upper edge and formed on its rear face with a plurality of connected grooves pro vid-ing a main lubricant supply duct and pairs of branch ducts leading from the supply duct to said outlet, there being a centrally located` inlet forthe main duct and each pair of branch ducts being of equal length and cross-sectional area and communicating with said supply ducts at points equi-distant from its inlet, whereby the resistance to flow of lubricant will be uniform in all of said branch ducts, and means for closing the open sides of said grooves. i

16. A wheel flange lubricator comprising a unit having a fixed position in respect to the road bed and comprising a lubricant supply vessel and a pump; a unit fixed to a rail so as to be movable therewith having an .element for operating said pump; and a flexible transmission connection between said operating lelement and the pump.

17. A wheel flange lubricator comprising a unit having a fixed position in respect to the road bed and comprising a lubricant supply vessel and a pump; a unit fixed to a rail so as to be movable therewith having an element for operating said pump;. and a flexible and longitudinally extensible transmission connection between said operating element and the pump.

18.,In a wheel ange lubricator, the combination of a unit having a fixed relation with respect to the road bed and comprising a lubricant supply vessel and a pump; a unit xed to a rail and movable therewith comprising a lubricant ment of said operating element to the pump; and distributing'. plate arranged adjacent the rail a conduit having a exible portion extending head and a pump operating element arranged from the pump to said distributing plate. adjacent the rail head and adapted to be de- 5 pressed by the Wheels of passing cars; a flexible SIDNEY E. BATES.

driving connection for transmitting the move- EMMONS OVERMIER. 

